Specialty

Since I have the palate of a child and I imagine a number of you who read this blog may have children, I feel it only fair to share recipes for meals that I like.

This is a recipe I learned from my uncle who's from Minnesota where I'm told they have things like "dishes" and "bars". This, I believe, would be considered a dish. It's my uncle's specialty, so we just call it "specialty". Real creative with the name, I know.


Here's what you need:

• Approximately 10 oz Pasta (I prefer rotini or elbow macaroni)
• 5 oz can of Chicken
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken condensed soup
• 1 can of equal size of chicken broth
• 8 oz slice Mozzarella Cheese
• Poultry seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook pasta
3. While the pasta is cooking, mix soup and broth in medium saucepan. Add enough poultry seasoning to give mixture slightly green hue.
4. Drain chicken and place in 9x9 glass dish.
5. When the pasta is done, add pasta and soup mixture to the dish. (Note: you may not need all of the soup mixture)
6. Stir so that all components are mixed together.
   
7. Place slices of mozzarella on top, covering the other ingredients.
8. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes or until cheese is brown.

Serves 5-6.

I tried mixing vegetables in once. It was not a success. Serve veggies on the side; I'd recommend preparing them while waiting for the dish to bake.

Ways to make it less unhealthy:

• Whole wheat pasta
• Low-fat and/or low-sodium soup
• Skim mozzarella
• ...If you're a health-nut, you probably already know! :)

I hope you enjoy!

Tips for 4th Year Part I

Mr. submitted ERAS yesterday! We're still early in the process, but here are some of my tips for those who will go through this in the future...

1. Prepare to spend an extra $10k or so for fourth year interviews, particularly if applying for a competitive specialty. Many do this with loans (as we are), but if you can avoid the loans, awesome!
2. Prepare to spend an additional $2k per away rotation for rent and additional food. You'll probably spend less, but if you plan for $2k per month, you should be safe. Note: if your med student is going away in the summer, this will likely be before fourth year loans come in. If you have an income, start saving. If you live entirely on loans, request a little extra for third year.
3. Make a list of programs to apply to in spring of third year. Find out what specific requirements they have. They won't all be the same. Look for:
1. Who they want letters from. Clinical faculty only? Someone not in the specialty? The head of the department? You can submit up to four letters, but as the different programs want letters from different people, you may need 5 or more letters.
2. Additional forms for letter writers. Some programs have their own cover-letter for letters of recommendation, so you need to have that before asking for letters.
3. Any additional exams.
4. Program-specific personal statements.
5. MCAT scores, SAT scores, and/or your undergraduate transcript.
6. Anything else they might think of to request...
   

That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later. Good luck, everyone!!

197 days until Match Day.